Location: Nerezine, Studenac square
Time: 3.5.2026., at noon
On the first Sunday in May, the village of Nerezine celebrates an old tradition called Muaj – a festivity of spring, youth, and new life.
This custom once honored the craftsmanship of the Nerezine shipwrights (calafats), who used oak wood to build their boats. On the Saturday evening before the celebration, the young men of the village would secretly agree on which boat they would pull from the sea and drag to the Studenac square. It would usually be the boat belonging to the father of the girl who was believed to be the first to marry.
They would also bring a large oak tree (locally called “dubac”) and quietly “borrow” flower pots and various items from the courtyards of village girls, placing them in the square during the night. The oak tree would be decorated with colorful scarves. When families set out for Sunday mass in the morning, they would be surprised to find the square transformed — with a decorated boat, the oak tree, and many vases of flowers.
After mass, people gathered in the square where, accompanied by bagpipes, they danced the traditional Nerezine dance “Milo–Drago.” Later, parents would collect their flower pots, and the father of the girl whose boat had been taken would treat the young men to drinks so that they would return his boat to the sea.
If you want, I can also polish it into a more promotional / tourism-style English text (for a website, brochure, or event program), which often reads more naturally to international visitors.
